Wednesday 16 March 2016

Vax AirCordless - Review

One of the most valuable items in our house has to the vacuum cleaner. When I say valuable, I don't mean the cost I literally mean it's valuable to me as it's something that I couldn't life without and is used most days. I have been a loyal customer to Dyson over the years and have sworn by the efficacy and durability of my Dyson powerball animal vacuum for such a long time I wondered if anything could compete. My Dyson is quite old now, probably about 10 years (can't believe that really!), it was top of the range when we purchased it, the results when used were amazing and it was easy to use, it has never seemed to lose any suction and has never really let me down. 

When I was approached by Vax to see if wanted to review one of their cordless (OMG, yes cordless) vacuums I had to admit I was a little bit dubious at first. What if it didn't live up to my Dyson high expectations. Surely nothing could be as good or better than what I already had? After thinking it over and be realistic I decided that actually I would massively benefit from having something like a cordless vacuum as I do find that lugging the Dyson up the stairs can be a bit of a chore. I opted for the Vax AirCordless Lift Upright Vacumm (RRP £249.95), I think the one thing that enticed me into this particular model was the lift out cylinder, I already felt this would be massively helpful on the stairs and for hard to reach places. Oh and did I mention it is cordless?
http://www.vax.co.uk/vacuum-cleaners/cordless-vacuum-cleaners/air-cordless-upright-vacuum-cleaner



As pathetic as it sounds when it arrived I was beyond excited (I know, I know excited over a bloody vacuum! It's an age thing I tell you). First things first, on getting it out of the box I was expecting a huge amount of attachments and various bits to put together. Did I have to do that? Nope. Pleasantly surprised. I literally just had to take the vacuum out of the minimal packaging and pop the hose in........amazing. There was a small box with some other extra parts but I was otherwise amazed with the lack of packaging, usually there is masses and masses of cardboard, cellophane and bubblewrap but there was literally just a few bits that were easily disposed of. 





Various attachments are included.
Once assembled and connected up I needed to charge the lithium battery. Two are provided so you can be using one while the other is charging (it takes around 3 hours for the battery to fully charge up), a very handy thought as each battery only provides 60 minutes of vacuuming. The battery itself is probably the heaviest thing of all as the actual vacuum is ridiculously light. Compared to my Dyson which is large and very heavy this is like lifting a feather and when you are actually using it it glides across the carpets and flooring brilliantly. 



What I have found this brilliant for (other than the amazing cordless feature) is the lift out cylinder. As I mentioned above one of the reasons that I particularly like this model was the lift out cylinder. I can whip this off the main part and make my way up the stairs with it, no longer am I stretching a hose and hoping it will reach nor am I worrying about damaging my hoover I simply just put the nozzle on the end and hoover the stairs quickly and safely, it's truly brilliant. I can also use this for vacuuming around window frames and hard to reach areas without the worry of pulling the vacuum over, it makes quick work of a sometimes tricky job. I also love that it has a light, sometimes it can be hard to see when vacuuming and I have to admit I don't always want to be turning all the lights on in the house so this bright light guides my way and makes the process just a little simpler. 



I've given a little overview about the Vax AirCordless but to make it simpler to read I will list what I like and what I don't like with regards to this product. 

What I like: 
  • It's cordless. The pure and simple fact is that this makes life a whole lot easier. No more tripping over cables, no more plugging in, no more doing a room then plugging in elsewhere. You can literally just turn it on and whip it round. I blooming love it. 
  • It's lightweight and easy to manoeuvre. I have found it really easy to use and carry, it is extremely slimline meaning it fits nicely into my cupboard for storage and it can get into all sorts of nooks and crannies meaning more cleaning and less dust!
  • It comes with 2 lithium batteries. I keep one on charge and when the other runs out I simply swap them over meaning I get  around 2 hours of hoovering (not that I ever hoover for 2 hours straight!). 
  • The light, as I mentioned above the light is ever so handy to help guide the hoover and see any bits you've missed. 
  • Using the cylinder separately to hoover the stairs and hard to reach ares, no more trudging up the stairs with the whole vacuum.
  • Steerable technology - this makes it really easy to hoover a room fully
  • It's easy to empty and maintain, the filter just needs to be washed every few washes and the cylinder emptied as required.


What I didn't like:
  • Because it's so lightweight it does topple easily if you don't remove the cylinder for handheld cleaning, I learnt this the hard way as I was kneeling on the floor trying to hoover under the sofa and it doinked me on the head!
  • There is no real warning that the battery is about to die it just kind of stops. Not a really bad thing as you simply change the battery but a little annoying if you're in mid hoover!
  • I have found that the hose and the opening into the cylinder where the dust goes gets easily blocked. Once blocked it doesn't suck anything at all and I find I have to spend a few minutes clearing the blockage. 
  • Although it is powerful it isn't as powerful as my Dyson but that is likely due to the change in power that vacuums are available in these days.



So do I love the Vax AirCordless? Well yes, yes I do!! It's made my life hugely easier than it was before. I used to hate having to get the vacuum out, plug it in, try not to get tangled in it and then find it difficult to manoeuvre just because of the weight of it. It's simple to use, lightweight, easy to store, efficient, effective and overall cordless!!!!! For nearly £300 it's not overly cheap but I think it is absolutely worth every penny.

* Please note I was kindly sent the item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, I will always be truthful in my reviews otherwise what's the point!


Best of Worst

28 comments:

  1. What a machine! It so funny how at our age we get excited about things like this. Its one nice looking hoover. We have a VAX something or other too and I do find it easy to use with good suction - Happy mother! x #bestandworst

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  2. This sounds great, exactly what I need to hoover the stairs without nearly falling down whilst carrying the chunky dyson x

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  3. This is interesting, we've been debating over whether or not to invest in a cordless vacuum over the last few months. I think I might show this review to my other half and see what he thinks! #abitofeverything x

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  4. Really useful review. Like you I'm a Dyson lover and would be dubious about the power of the corless hoovers, but I do really love the idea of not having a cord to cart about - especially now that Taylor's figured out how to switch it off at the plug mid-hoover! x #bestandworst

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  5. I don't blame you for getting excited about a vacuum! I bought myself a used Dyson when I was pregnant and was SO happy when it arrived. It's great, but a cordless would be really useful. #bestandworst

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  6. I enjoyed the review, and it was good to see the vax in action. I've got a smaller one, cant remember the name of it but the battery dies suddenly too which can be a bit of a pain. On the one you reviewed I loved that its got a light! There are so many that are similar but I haven't seen one with a light, its something a little different:)

    mainy

    #bestandworst

    http://www.myreafairy.com

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  7. Oh, that does look good! We've got a Henry and I wouldn't be without him :)

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  8. Oooh cordless!! *blinks at you in wide eyed awe and strokes the screen a bit* I would love a cordless vac. We live in a three story townhouse - so many stairs!!

    Great review.
    Dawn x
    Thanks for hosting #bestandworst

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  9. I have a Vax just like that one but it's not cordless (!) Liked your honest review and glad to see some 'dislikes' too but they haven't put me off. Will definitely be going cordless next time as I've hoovered up the lead too many times! #bestandworst

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  10. I split my loyalty between Dyson and Vax! Dyson has the edge for me on simplicity...the Vax practically needs an engineering degree to change the cleaning brushes but I do also enjoy my Vax. Ooo I don't think I've ever spent so much time thinking about it until now! Thanks for hosting #bestandworst

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  11. I would love a cordless vacuum cleaner, I think it would be so much easier! It's good that there are two batteries included too! We have only recently got a new one though so I guess I'll have to wait a while. #BestandWorst

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  12. I'd soooo like a cordless hoover - Little B ALWAYS wraps the cord of our Vax round his neck when I'm using it... #bestandworst

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  13. I love my hovers sad I know and swear by Vax great review thanks for hosting best&worst

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  14. I will shamefully admit that I bought a dyson with some money left over from our wedding gifts nearly 4 years ago, and I can actually count on one hand the amount of times I've used it... I know, I know!! My excuse has always been that the children are terrified of it, so I can't have it on while they're up, and I can't have it on when they're napping, because it'd wake them up...! I do need to pull my finger out though! I love the sound of how lightweight this one is. Our dyson is a bit cumbersome! And the fact that it seems to do a lot of very tricky areas makes it a winner too! Great review, it makes me want to ditch the dyson!!
    #bestandworst

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  15. Great review! It looks and sounds like a really good product. Like you, we have a Dyson and I would be curious how it compared. It sounded like it matched it! Thanks for hosting #bestandworst

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  16. I love hoovers. I would love a steam cleaner next. Yes, I'm a mum. Yes, I'm a little sad :) Great review #bestandworst

    Nadia - ScandiMummy x

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  17. We are Dyson fans but I must admit dragging the hoover up the stairs (and the gremlin cries when it falls over!!) is a pain in the neck. I love the idea of it being cordless! Lovely thing to review hun! #bestandworst x

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  18. Oh I dream of a cordless vaccum cleaner! Great review #bestandworst

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  19. Oh I am so glad you posted this Helen, I am after a new hoover on our move back as ours gave up the ghost and we are leaving behind the tiled floors and coming back to carpet (I hope we are coming back to carpet anyway!!!) xx

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  20. I cannot show this to my OH! He really wants one of these, whilst I think it is probably great but an expensive vacuum when you already have an expensive vacuum that works well is an unnecessary expense! It sounds pretty good though! #bestandworst

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  21. Something like this would be so handy for me, I love my Henry but it's soooo heavy!xx #BestAndWorst

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  22. Oh wow this looks amazing! I love the cordless factor, and it looks like it would make the stairs a lot easier (I HATE doing the stairs) I am a Dyson girl too but this looks like it could be a winner. x #bestandworst

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  23. We've got this vacuum too, and have found it really useful. I love how lightweight it is, and the fact you can remove the cylinder for handheld cleaning - makes the stairs SO much easier! Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested

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  24. This sounds and looks amazing! I really like that it is cordless. That is such a handy feature.

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  25. This sounds great. We were discussing replacing our vacuum today. Cordless would be great for us, because we have hardly any sockets and lightweight is a bonus too as our current one weighs a ton! x
    #TriedTested

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  26. Oh this looks fantastic, I'm looking for a new cordless vacuum as my stairs are getting neglected at the moment due to a lack of plugs. Great review #TriedTested

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  27. Having just discovered that the hose of my Dyson is destroyed as a result of hoovering the stairs I've been looking at investing in a handheld cordless, this looks like the best of both worlds.
    Thanks for sharing your review on #TriedTested this week x

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  28. Hi Helen Gandy.
    This Vacuum is looking so nice. without handle its looking a pet which is stand in a little place. I think its very easy to use and its clean the flor as well. Thank you for your nice sharing

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